Rail-clamp.



WSF. HETRIGK.

RAIL CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.12, 1911.

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WILLIAM F. HETRICK, 0F SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

BAIL-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 12, 1911.

Paten bed nomia, 1911. Serial No. 643,680.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. Hn'rmcx, residing at South Connellsville, in the county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Rail-Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

M invention seeks to provide means for firm y clamping rails of various sorts, such as railroad rails upon the ties or beams on which they are placed, and it has for its object to provide a clamping means of the character stated of a simple and inexpensive nature, adaptable for use in connection with metal, cement, or wooden ties and in which the parts are especially designed for holding the rails in such a manner as to overcome any liabilityto spread, tilt or turn under the strain, thrust and weight of a loaded train passing thereover.

With other objects in view to be hereinafter explained, my invention, in its generic nature embodies an improved arrangement j of a tie straddling and gripping supporting base the op osite ends of which have bearings for taing up the outward or lateral thrusts of the rails, and clamp members slidably mounted on the said base for engaging the inner faces of the rails and operating as clamp members opposing the end bearings of the base, together with adjusting means for drawing up the said inner and outer clamping Vportions against the rail webs.

In its more subordinate features my invention consists in certain details of construction and novel arrangement of parts all of which will be hereinafter fully explained, specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the ac.

companying drawing'n which:

Figure 1, is a perspective view of a metallic railtie rail and my improved clamping means as operatively applied thereto. Fig. 2, is a cross section thereof taken substantially on the line 2-2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a perspective view of the several Vparts that constitute my invention separated.

In its practicalarrangement my invention comprises a base or supporting means consisting of twin metallic strin ers or side plates 1-1 of al w f ,v to exten l across the trackway and o positeends pro- 'ected beyond of the rails.

he stringers 1 me the opposite sides of the tie 2 with their t pper edges in a plane slightly above the tie. to which latter the plates or stringers 1- 1 are firmly secured by the nutted cross boll s 3, that ass through the said stringers 1-1 and t e tie, as is clearly shown in the (rawin The outer ends of the stringers 1- -1 are sent upwardly as at 12 and are forme i with heavy lugs or thickened portions 10- -10 and these are of such width that when whe said stringers are placed on the ties, tiey abut and form solid abutments or bea] ings X for engaging the outer faces of the rail Webs 3, as is clearly shown in Fig 2, by reference to which it will be noticec' the bearings X each have an undercut rec ess 11 that extends transversely of their i1 ner faces for receivingthe outer of the bise flanges 31 of the rails, such recesses bei] g of sulicient depth that the bearings X ca i be blocked up into a solid engagement Wi 3h the rail web. To add rigidity and streI gth to thelbearings X the thickened portie is 10, of the Stringer 1,l are held together by .he bolts 4, as shown,

vand the outer edge of each of the bent up portions 12 has a lug 13, thel reasonl for which will presently aj pear. The stringer or side plates 1 areast with horizontal flanges 14 at their up per edges and pro-` jected outwardly therefrom and with 1nwardly projecting bear: ng members 15, that extend over the top of lhe tie and abut each other Vwhen the plates l are clamped.

6 designates a sliding clamp, one for each `rail and these are slids bly mounted on the stringers 1, they having 'grooves 60 for engaging the guide flange; 14, such connection of arts serving to holl the clamp 6 interloc ed with the Stringer: 1 and in position for lbeing readily adjusted r drawn up against .the inner web faces o: the rails, the said clamp 6 having under cut transversel extending grooves 61 for receiving the Inner base anges of the rails, as shown the clam 6 having inte al apert ired care 62st end for receiving the he aded Oi justing or draw bolts 7 thatpass under the rails andengage a clam p'bar 8 that extends transversely across the top of the tie and engages the outer edgesof the upwardly bent portions or abutme nts 12 of the string- ,ers and are held from :lidin upwarciy by the upper edge 8O engag ingt e lugs 13-13. From the foregoing description taken in 0011116091911 with the yra wings, the complete arrangement of my rail clamping means and the advantages of the construction thereof will be readlly apparent. By reason of the peculiar arrangement of the parts and their cooperative connection, the rail can be easily set in position or removed, relatively to the clamping devices, by simply unscrewing the nuts 71 on the draw bolts 7 so that the clamp members 6 can be slid back from engagement with the base flange of the wall, 1t being obvious that in placing the rails and the clamps 6 the several parts can be quickly and positively adjusted to solidly clamp the rail by simply tlghtening up the nuts 71. By setting the upper edges of the stringers sl1 htly above the ties, an additional elasticity is given the rail during the passing of the cars thereover, i't being understood, however, that the said stringers may be so mounted on and secured to the ties so that the rails seat directly on the tie, the latter Way being shown as the preferred way of mounting the stringers on metallic ties.

What I claim is 1. A pair of stringers securable to the tie, one on each side, said stringers including an upwardly projecting rail abutment, a single clamp member longitudinally slidably mounted on the .said stringers, means for forcing the said clamp member to .hold the rail against the said abutment, said last named means including a bar engaging the said abutment at theside opposite the rail engaging side and draw bolts connecting the said bar with the said clamp.

2. A pair of stringers securable to the tie, one on each side, said strin ers including an upwardly projecting rail abutment, a single clamp member longitudinally slidably mounted on the said stringere, means for forcing? the saidl clamp' member to hold the rail against the said abutment, said last named means including a bar engaging the saidabutment at the side opposite the rail eng-aging: side and draw' bolts connecting the said bar withv the said clamp, and other means on the abutment for retaining the said bar in position.

3. In a rail clamping means, a pair of stringers of like shape, securable on the tie, one on each side thereof, said stringers including an upwardly projected rail abutment at each end, a pair of clamps, slidably mounted on the said stringers, one for each rail, and means for each clamp member for forcing the said clamp members to hold the rails against the abutments on the ends of the stringers.

4. In a clamp, a pair of stringers secur. able to the tie, one ateach side thereof, said stringers including an upwardly projecting rail abut-ment, said abutment projecting inwardly to extend over the tie, said stringers having integral horizontally disposed guide flanges, a single clamp longitudinally slidably mounted on the said stringers and having grooves for engaging the aforesaid flanges, and means for forcing the said clamp member to hold the rail against the said abutment.

5. In a clamp, a pair of stringers securable to the tie, one at each side thereof, said stringers including an upwardly projecting rail abutment, said abutment projecting inwardly to extend over the tie, said stringers having integral horizontally disposed guide flanges, a single clamp longitudinally slidably mounted on the said stringers and having grooves for engaging the aforesaid flanges, means for forcing the said clamp member to hold thev rail against the said abutment, said means /including apertured ears on the clamp member, a cross bar engagin the outer face of the abutment .and draw olts that ,pass under the rail and conn ect the bar and the apertured ears of the clamp'.

WILLIAM F. HETRICK Witnesses:

W. B. HELMs, MUssER GLEssNER.

Gopie's of this' paf'f may te obtained for'ii've cents each, by addressing' the commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

